- Up to 25 specimens released in 2021
- The initiative is a joint project between the Junta de Andalusia (regional government of Andalusia) and the European Union
The project to recover the Tyto alba barn owl in southern Spain began in 2019 with the acquisition of a breeding pair on loan from the Junta de Andalusia. Since then, a total of 44 owls have been released from the Madrevieja Environmental Station, with their corresponding rings.
This initiative is carried out in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía (regional government of Andalusia) and the European Union bird ringing service, Euring, an organization that promotes international collaboration in the study of birds, particularly in Europe and along the African-Eurasian flyway. Euring has allowed Madrevieja to use red rings with white numbers, a color combination not seen anywhere else in Europe, meaning that the birds ringed at this site will be easy to identify across the continent.
Estrella Blanco, head of Fundación Cepsa in the Campo de Gibraltar, highlights "the importance of this project not only to recover the owl in southern Spain but to increase the richness in biodiversity in the Campo de Gibraltar and by extension in the province of Cadiz. The Madrevieja Environmental Station and projects like this one demonstrate that the coexistence between nature and industry is possible".
The Madrevieja Environmental Station is a research center and nature reserve owned by Fundación Cepsa, which has worked to restore the wetland since 2009. Since its inauguration in 2014, Ornitour has been working not only to preserve the area, but also to recover species and the passage of birds in this corner of Campo de Gibraltar, which is open to the public to enjoy and learn from.
